Booster & Ted's Excellent Adventure
by morgana006
Summary: Booster gets kicked off his high school football team and thinks it's a great idea to go back in time. After crashing his time machine, he has wacky high school adventures with Ted Kord and other DC High students. High School AU, slash.
1. Time Machine

I had it made.

I did, I really did. Sure, I wasn't Homecoming King or the most popular guy in school, but I was popular and on the football team.

Booster scores! Seriously, you don't even know what that feels like. I can't even describe it, but it feels good. Really good.

I was a shoe-in for a college scholarship. I had my life ahead of me. It was bright. It was fantastic.

But we had _problems_, see? Money problems. I don't even want to talk about my dad. So I screwed up. I gambled, I threw a couple of games, I got kicked off the DC High football team and almost got expelled.

Y'know, life always throws you a quantam data recovery program. A life-ring, I guess. I got detention. Weeks and weeks of detention that I agreed to so I wouldn't be suspended or expelled. What would I say to my kid sister if I never finished High School, huh?

I cleaned up gum around the school, acting as a janitor. Eventually I was uh, voluntold for the library. See, I don't know about your twentyfirst c libraries, but man, ours are huge and complicated, even the high school ones. And DCH's had been around for a couple of centuries. My job was to organize the stuff in storage. I never understood all that! You could look most of it up on the Internet (yes, that's still around). But whatever, I'm not some nerd.

Not that I don't like nerds – What was I saying? Yes, the library.

See, turns out that DCH used to have some, uh, prestigious students, called the Legion of Superheroes. They had, you know, secret identities, so their stuff was hidden among the files as old important things – the Legion Rings disguised as school rings and that sort of thing. I might have dropped the box of rings all over the floor and one might have broken and it might have revealed the L underneath the fake GH. And well, I'm not a_ total_ idiot. So I go looking at some of the stuff in that room.

And maybe I see something that says it's a time capsule, but it's too big and I find out that it's actually a time machine. Now here's the creepy thing – the date it says to open it? Specified down to the second. I look at my watch and it's the exact same time. See? Creepy.

I'm not sure if it was destiny or time traveller hijinks or what, but the time machine opened for me right then and there. I swear I haven't had goosebumps like that before.

The idea was simple: grab some of the Legion stuff, take the time machine, go back in time, become a hero, come back to the future as an awesome person and historical celebrity, cue applause. And, in the past, I'd be able to get on the football team again. Win all around.

Yes, yes, I know it was a mindbogglingly stupid plan. Sometimes I am a total idiot.

I wasn't really prepared for the Past, and I didn't really anticipate getting involved like I did.

I just chose a date that sounded good and was after the invention of penicilin and the internet. Turns out it was already programmed into the machine.

Fate. Time travel hijinks. Creepy.

But there's something about the feeling that fate is going along with your plan that makes it seem like it isn't so mindbogglingly stupid.

And I certainly wasn't prepared to meed Ted Kord.

The first thing I noticed about the past was the smog and the trees and the stars. The second thing I noticed was that I had crashed the machine into some sort of building and it was damaged and I had no idea how to fix it. The third thing I noticed was that the building I had crashed into was a much older version of the DC High library. The fourth thing I noticed was that I had almost killed someone.

His name was Ted Kord, though I didn't know that at the time, and if you had told me what he'd come to mean to me I would have dunked your head in the back of a food processor.

There he was, in a blue and another-shade-of-blue sweatervest. I'm not even joking – _sweatervest_. Glasses askew, books falling out of his arms, bookshelf barely missing him as it smashes to the floor, wind blowing the slightly red mousey brown hair into an even worse hairstyle than usual.

And there** I **was, in a time machine, wearing very anachoristic clothing, half-destroying the library.

That's how we met.

I scrambled out of the time machine, worried I had killed him because I really didn't need to be locked up in a twentyfirst c jail for accidental manslaughter-by-time-machine. There was smoke and dust and books and pages and paper everywhere and the bookshelves were doing a domino thing you think only happens in the movies.

I helped the kid up and made sure he wasn't dead as he stared from me to the time machine. Finally he raised an eyebrow.

"Did you take a wrong left turn or something?"

I couldn't help it. I collapsed into a hysterical fit of giggles. As I totally lost my composure at the absurdity my life had taken, Could-Have-Been-Killed boy looked over the machine.

"What is this hunk of junk?"

I wiped my eyes. "You won't believe me."

The guy looked at me and rolled his eyes. "You just appeared out of nowhere in a giant glowing glass ball and you don't expect me to believe your obviously outlandish so-unbelievable-it-has-to-be-true story? Wow, that's just – wow. _Seriously_, what is it?"

I straighened up, scratching my head, looking at him. "It's a time machine." 

"A time machine."

"Yeah."

"Okay."

He climbed inside the ruined wreck. I followed him, confounded.

"Okay? Just 'okay'?"

"You look like you're from the future. That was my first thought, actually – 'he looks like he's from a bad sci-fi show."

I played hurt. "...Bad?"

He pushed some of the buttons and examined the control device. "Looks pretty broken to me. Guess you'll have to stay here. Aren't you afraid of changing the past?"

I froze.

He looked at me and I gave a nervous laugh. "Heh, um, yeah, I, uh didn't think about that?"

He gaped a little. "What? You just jumped in a time machine saying 'This'll be fun, screw the consequences on the time continuum?'"

"Maybe."

"..."

"I kinda uh borrowed it. Without permission."

He sighed, clapped a hand on my shoulder and said to me very seriously, "Well, guess you really screwed the pooch on this one, huh?"

He then gave a mock salute. "Nice knowing you soldier."

I admit, I started to panic. "Oh god, oh god, what am I going to do? Oh frag, I'll change time and I'll change history and I'll never be born and I'll kill my great great great grandfather and I'll be my own ancestor and oh man why did I think this was a good idea?"

I tried, uselessly, to put some of the pieces of the time machine back together.

"What're you called?"

"Booster."

"That's a weird name."

"It's a nickname. My real name's Michael Carter."

"...That doens't sound so sci-fi. I thought in the future, everybody had names like Bloodsport or Trinity or Styker or whatever."

I snorted.

"I'm Ted Kord."

Ted crouched down beside me and offered me his hand. I took it.

"Nice to meet you, Booster. Hopefully we'll be able to get this fixed up so you can pop back to the future before you have to hitch a ride on Doc Brown's DeLorean."

I swear I did not wail. "But how're we supposed to fix it? I'm just some dumb jock!"

Ted grinned at me. "Luckily, I'm a genius prodigy nerd."

"How very modest of you."

Ted stood up and wiped his hands on his pants. "Right. First things first, we can't leave this thing here ruining the school library. Let's take it to my lab."

"How're we going to move it? Wait – you have a lab?"

Ted pulled out a cell-phone, what he said later was cutting edge but to me looked obsolete. "Don't worry, I have people."

I frowned. "You're crazy, or you're playing a prank on me."

Ted tsked. "I already said I was Ted Kord. My dad owns KORD Inc. It's a research and development company. Don't worry – everything's going to be fine."

I was about to protest, but stopped. If he believed my story about the time machine, the least I could do was believe his infinitely-more-plausible story about being a smart rich kid.

To my surprise, he really did have people. Smart, fast, strong people who loaded the time machine up onto a truck and hauled it off to Ted's personal lab, which turned out to be his basement. Admittedly, his house was big and therefore the basement was huge. Still a basement, though.

Ted was intensely proud of it, so I didn't say anything. I swear.

"Oh shut up," he said, "It'll do. I'll get to look at your time machine, you'll be able to go back to future, everybody wins."

"You sure it'll be that easy?"

He tapped the side of his nose, walked over to the far corner of his lab where a huge shape was concealed by a dusty cloth and pulled it off. Underneath was a giant... thing that looked very fancy and would probably fit in aestetically with my time. He slapped its side.

"This is the flying machine I've been building. It's top secret though, so don't even tell your mother. It's not done yet, but it can fly."

I put on my best Princess Leia voice. "You fly in _that_ thing? You must be braver than I thought."

I couldn't help it. I smiled. He did too.

"We still have Star Wars in the future. There is hope for humanity."

We pulled up our sleeves, and got to work. What must've been ten hours later, we found out that while we knew more about the machine than we did before, it wasn't going to be nearly as easy as we thought.

Ted just shrugged. "We'll manage it. It might take us longer. Hey, listen, I've got school tomorrow – want to come? I mean, unless it's cancelled due to the library being mysteriously destroyed.

I thought about my Plan; I still could do what I came to do. "Sure, why not?"

Maybe it would be fun, I thought. Maybe I'd get to see a little of the twentyfirst c.

Things... turned out a little differently than I was expecting.


	2. Pigs

I wasn't sure exactly how Ted managed it, maybe his "people" did something, but suddenly I was an exchange student from Canada. I sat very still in the principle's office, marveling that the same exact stupid painting had managed to survive there until my time. You do not want to know how horrid this painting was. It looked like it was painted by a mouse dipped in watercolors.

Ted had gone to class already. He just up and left me alone in an office. I didn't even know him that well, but I'd rather hang out with somebody I did know a little than the frowning, decrepit old lady at the desk.

Finally the principle called me in. After getting a long talking to about how I was supposed to behave while I was here and that unfortunately, I would not be able to use the library as it was damaged last afternoon, and that the DC High campus was very large for a high school and to make sure not to get lost, I mean it, Michael, and did I have a place to stay while I was here?

"Um, I'm staying with Ted Kord?"

At least, I hoped I was. I crossed my fingers behind my back and hoped he liked slumber parties.

Principle Scott gave an unimpressed snort. "Well, that's fine. Note, however, that the way that Mr. Kord behaves is not the standard I am expecting from you."

"Uh..." I got the feeling that Ted wasn't the straight-laced geek I thought he was.

The principle smiled, a warm, honest smile and patted me on the back. "Don't worry. Enjoy yourself, Michael. I hope I don't see you in this office again until it's time to say goodbye."

"Oh um thanks, Mr. Scott. Bye."

The old lady handed me a slip of paper that was my class schedule, before giving me a look that plainly said "I'm watching you".

Okay, so I leave the office intending to head for class, right? When I run into this weird pale guy. Seriously pale. Like, blank white paper skin, like snow or white lead paint. His hair was dyed an acid green.

And in one arm he was carrying a squealing pig with a large number four painted on its side.

He saw me and grinned. "Hey, you never saw me."

"I don't even know who you are."

I didn't think it was even physically possible for him to grin wider but he did. "Hehheh. New, huh?"

He abruptly dropped the pig, and it ran squealing away as fast as it could. The pale kid saluted me and sprinted off. I heard voices from the office and decided to head to class before somebody blamed me for the pig.

I got lost.

The school is huge. My time, their time, the school is ginormous. And most of it wasn't the same building so I had no idea where I was going. Years of rebuilding and restoring had changed the landscape, making it unfamiliar. The sleek glass and metal of the future were replaced by dull blue lockers with rusty hinges and graffiti-covered brick of the present.

I wandered around, looking in vain for my classroom. The only company I had were the occasional pig with a number painted on one side and any adults too busy chasing them to give me directions.

I was eventually rescued by a guy who was a stark contrast with the lunatic with the pig.

He was wearing a tight black t-shirt and loose brown pants. His hair was light brown and cleanly cut and brushed. He was walking out of the classroom with a kleenex over his nose.

He spotted me and came over. "Are you lost?"

"...You could say that."

He smiled. "Want some help?"

I tried not to be too desperate. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

He waved a hand. "I'm getting a drink of water to help my nosebleed. It's not going to work, so I can take a little time to show you where to go."

"Um, okay, I guess."

"I'm Max."

"Booster."

He shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Booster. Now, where are you headed?"

I gave him my time table.

It turns out I was three floors away from where I was going. And when I finally got there, the bell rang.

Max laughed. "How about I help you find your next class now, before you get lost again."

"Yeah, probably a good idea."

He looked at my timetable again and smiled. "Hey, we're in the same class – computer science. Very convenient."

I inwardly winced. Not because I didn't like the guy – but there was no point to learning old fashioned technology. It was like learning how to churn butter or how to probably transmit Morse code on a telegraph. Possibly entertaining but entirely useless. Still, Ted thought it was better if we shared as many classes as possible so he could keep an eye on me.

Computer sciences was made up of nerds.

Nice nerds. I like nerds, I swear.

There were murmurs and introductions and stuff, and everybody introduced themselves to me, but honestly I'm terrible with names so I couldn't remember most of them. I know them now, of course, but if you asked me then, I wouldn't have anything.

I do remember the redhead with the glasses in the wheelchair, who was some kind of genius because despite being a freshman was in our class, and I overheard Mr. Knight telling her that she really should be in the senior's class. Her name was Barbara Gordon. She was almost constantly bothered by this creepy dude called Noah Kuttler.

Max was there, of course, and Ted. Ted and Max seemed to know each other, kind of.

"Hey, Booster, I see you've met Maxwell Lord."

Ted pulled me aside and in a huge fake stage whisper said, "Don't trust that guy."

Max laughed. "Come on, Ted. Why would you say that?"

Ted played innocent. "What? I didn't say anything."

I solemnly turned to Max. "I'm sorry, Max, this guy I met yesterday says I'm not supposed to trust you. I should listen to him."

Max clasped a hand to his chest. "I'm hurt. Truly, I am."

Barbara Gordon wheeled over. "Guys, we're supposed to be in class. Stop fooling around and do some work."

Ted immediately turned back to his desktop. "As you command, queen of computers."

Barbara rolled her eyes and motioned to me. "Look, I'll get you started at a computer, okay, Michael?"

Max leaned away from his computer. "Is that his name?"

"Call me Booster," I said to both of them, before turning back to Barbara, "How'd you know my name?"

"I know everything."

I couldn't help but get goosebumps. I don't know why, but I believed her. She didn't say it like she was bragging. She didn't say it like it was some sort of mysterious thing like a secret agent or some spooky guy at a dark table lit from the back. She didn't say it like an offhand joke. She said it in a casual, matter-of-fact tone.

For one irrational moment I wondered if she knew I was from the future too.

But then it was gone. She gave me a computer and showed me what we were doing, and wheeled off before I could say thank you.

I couldn't help but smile as I got started. I had been in the past for about a day and I already made more real friends than I did in a year in the future.

I wanted to stay there.

A pig ran past the door, squealing much more squeakily than it had been before, almost as if it had been squealing so much it had lost its voice.

A parade of teachers chased after it.

On the other hand, the past was pretty weird.


	3. Worst President

Ted got me lunch, which was nice of him. I mean, it made sense since I was in the past and had no money, but Ted was going out of his way to take care of me.

It wasn't all altruistic.

The cafeteria was loud and chaotic. The tables were a pale blue plastic with long benches, and most of them were cracked or damaged. One in particular looked like it was being held together with duct tape. I marveled at this century's ability to use duct tape in a way to solve any problem they seemed to have.

Ted sat us down in a corner and used the silence to talk to me about what he really cared about: the future.

"Listen, Booster, in the future, _do you have _**flying cars**?"

I chewed my slice of pizza carefully before answering. "We... have things _like_ flying cars. I guess."

Ted leaned forward, with a sly grin. "Listen – how much can you tell me about what happens between then and now? I mean, without messing up the time stream and stuff."

I snorted. "Probably everything I know since I'm terrible at history."

Ted raised his eyebrow. "Who's the worst president in history?"

I thought about it. "Probably Lex Luthor."

Ted spat out his coke, hurriedly grasping napkins from a nearby dispenser to wipe of the mess almost immediately afterwards.

"_What_."

"What?"

Ted stood up and grabbed my collar. Before I could grab my food, he had dragged me halfway down the cafeteria. At the only good table in the entire cafeteria was a group of people. Sitting in the centre was a bald kid with a lunchbox. Not just any lunch box – I could have sworn it had sashimi, a salad with a vinaigrette and a mouse cake with a delicate chocolate design on top.

The bald kid looked up. "Theodore. I think my father is planning a takeover of your father's company. I'm afraid that I can't prevent it even if you beg, so don't bother."

Ted remained cheerful. "Hey Lex, this is Booster, the Canadian exchange student. I'm introducing him to you so he'll know who to avoid. Booster, this is _Lex Luthor_."

"Oh do avoid me please, Buster, I'd really rather not talk to you."

I was too busy staring at him to correct him. I didn't even notice the people he was with, which was probably a bad idea in retrospect. You should get to know your enemies and all that.

Lex had relinquished any sort of attention towards us, so Ted dragged me away. I swear my jaw was dangling around my ankles.

Finally, as we sat down back at our table (our food, miraculously, untouched), I spoke. "That was Lex Luthor? _The_ Lex Luthor?"

Ted nodded grimly. "That would be Lex. Are you serious when you say he was president?"

"Yeah," I said, still reeling.

"What happened?"

I paused. For the first time, I could forsee consequences to what seemed like a fun trip to the past, other than to myself, of course. I wasn't the best history student, but there are some things you remember. Like when the President of the United States of America is a bona fide supervillain who goes crazy, tries to take over the world, gets impeached, takes the White House as a hostage and threatens to blow up Canada because they never appreciated his gracious offer to let them join the States. Canada still hadn't officially removed the line they added to their anthem, despite the fact they couldn't teach it to school children.

I didn't want to tell him the whole story, in case he changed the future. My future. I pictured myself slowly disappearing from a photograph, or worse.

"It didn't turn out very well," I said, fully aware I was making the understatement of the century.

The classes and new faces blurred together. Before I knew it, school was out. I waited by the entrance for Ted. Lex Luthor passed, completely ignoring me, before climbing into a very clean white limousine.

Barbara Gordon wheeled out and stopped to say hello. "How was your first day, Booster?"

I thought about it. "Good, I guess."

"Waiting for Ted?"

I was surprised. "Yeah, how'd you guess?"

She just smiled.

I tried to continue the conversation. "You going home?"

She sighed. "Yeah. Normally I'd spend some time in the library, but it's closed indefinitely."

I winced. "That sucks."

"See you tomorrow," she said, heading off.

I waved her goodbye.

"Barbara's nice."

I turned around. Max was there, smiling. I smiled back at him.

"Yeah."

"Are you planning to join any clubs or teams while you're here?"

I blinked. "I don't know. At my school I wa- er, I'm on the football team, but I don't think I'll be here long enough to join anything."

"That's too bad," Max said, "I've been trying to start this club, and I almost have enough members -"

"Booster!"

Ted had arrived. "And Max."

Max turned that smile of his on Ted. "Hello Ted, how was your day?"

"Excellent, Max, absolutely fantastic. Booster, we should get going."

"Oh, okay," I said, "See you around, Max."

I couldn't help but notice that Max's smile had slid off his face and was put back on rather quickly. On one hand, I felt really guilty for letting Ted drag me away, on the other hand, I was briefly and slightly creeped out by Max. There was something sales-man-ish about him.

"Listen," said Ted the minute we were out of earshot, "Sorry for being late. I was held up – I found one of the pigs hiding beside my locker."

"Does that happen a lot?"

"What?"

"Pigs."

Ted blinked at me. "Things like that happen all the time."

The explanation of why the damage to the school library had gone virtually unnoticed was suddenly explained. Ted described to me some of the things that had happened - "but the lab was not my fault, I _so_ didn't blow it up", "...and when they _finally_ found Mr. Grant's motorcycle, it had been taken for somebody's 'art project'", "It took them forever to paint over all the polka dots".

It was then that I realized that I was but one cog in the great chaos-causing machine.

I wanted to get off.


End file.
